Key-operated locking-switch.



PATENTED JAN. 22, 1907.

J. BBRNET'. KEY OPERATED LOGK ING SWITCH.

I APILIUATION FILED FEB-10. 1906.

W11: EEEEE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN BERNET, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

KEY- OPERATED LOCKING-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1907;

Application filed February 10,1905. Serial No. 245,117.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JOHN BERNET, a citizenof the United States, and aresident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Key Operated Locking-Switches and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being had totheaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

Heretofore automobile vehicles of most kinds have been provided withelectrical I" '5 switches either for opening or closing the circuit inelectrical vehicles or for opening and closing the spark-circuit forother types. These switches have usually been of a type such that theremoval of a simple cylindric switch-plug is sufficient to break thecircuit. Inasmuch as any conducting substance of proper size may beinserted in the switch, it

i the contacts or the switch-plug being slightly fss worn or a littlegreasy or slightly oxidized, the switch is unsatisfactory and frequentlyinsufficient for the ignition of the charge, and in many instancesconsiderable delay is accasioned while operators seek for defects inother parts of the mechanism, though the switch only is at fault.

The object of this invention is to afiord av switch of such'aconstruction as to afford in every instance a broad and perfectcontact and which is at all times positively protected and locked fromunauthorized interference.

It is also an object of the invention to afford a construction inwhichan individual lock is provided for each and every switch,.

whereby any two switches, though identical in all other respects, canonly be brought into position to complete the circuit by the use of akey appropriate for that look only, thereby preventing unauthorizedinterference.

It is also an object of the invention to afford a construction of suchsimple, compact, and

durable nature as to require no attention whatever on the part of theuser other than 'to turn the key and by the use of which shortcircuitingsible.

The invention consists in the matters here'- inafter described, and morefully pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a section of the same, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1,showing the key in place. Fig. .3 is a rear elevation thereof.- Fig. 4is an enand imperfect contact are imposlarged transverse section of oneof the contacts and the knife-bar. fragmentary section illustrating theconnection between the revolving tumbler of the lock and the switch-bar.Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the revoluble elementcarrying the knife-bar.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged As shown in the drawings, A indicates a tablet ofvulcanite, slate, mica, indurated fiber, or any suitable insulatingmaterial and, as shown, rectangular in form and having a central aerture therethrough, as shown in Fig. 2. aidinsulating plate or tablet Ais secured in a metallic or any other suitable casing B, alsorectangular in form at its base and fitting thereto and comprisingconnected side and end walls integral with a flat top portion b, fromwhich, as shown, an integral conical shell extends outwardly and isprovided with a circular or other suitable aperture in its end adaptedto receive the lock.

Said lock may be of any preferred construction, but as shown comprises acylindric body portion C, adapted to fit in said conical tumbler ispositioned in,register with the aperture through the insulating-tablet Aand is provided with a key-aperture, as isusual, and with any suitablearrangement of wards necessitatin the use of its special key forrotating the barrel or tumbler. As shown, said wards comprise cylindricpins 0 to 0 inclusive, which are seated transversel in the barrel and ofa length to be brought ush with the circumference thereof when the keyis in place, as shown in Fig. 2, and which, as shown, register withcorrespondin springpressed pins 0 to 0 inclusive, in t e cylindric bodyportion, which when the key is removed project into the correspondinapertures in the barrel, locking in the usua manner the same frommovement. As shown, said tablet A'is rigidly secured within said casingagainst the inwardly-directed shoul- 9. shell, in which is a revolubletumbler or bari I ing in a suitable recess in the flange d. Parallelribs d are provided on each side the center on the inner end of saidhub, between which and axially of said hub opens a rectangular slot(shown in Fig. 2 and in dotted ines in Fig. 6) in which engages theinner end of a rigid plate E, of metal or any suitable material, theother end of which positively engages in a suitable axial slot in theinner end of the tumbler or barrel and is secured thereto by means of aplate e, provided with a tongue e, which projects through a slot oraperture in said bar E. Said plate e projects peripherally beyond thetumbler and bears against the body of the look, thereby holding tletumbler in place in the lock.

Rigidly secured at the inner end of said hub d by means of the ribs (1which project from the center of the same, is a doubleended knife-bar F,adapted to engage at its ends the spring-contacts f f arrangedoppositely and in pairs and connected with suitable conductors to affordthe current whereby the circuit from either of two sets of bat teries orother sources of current-supply may be completed. The contacts, asshown, are spring-plates of any suitableconducting material rlgidlysecured on the inner side of said tablet A and which at their extremityadj acent the ends of the knife-bar are reverted upon themselvestoafford a loop in which said knife-bar firmly engages, as shown inFigs. 2 and 4. As shown, the extremity of each spring-contact is bentdownwardly to afiord a free tongue adapted to be liftedby the knife-barin entering or leaving the contact and tending to prevent the bar movingout of contact from vibration when in use and insuring a satisfactorycontact under all conditions.

The operation is as follows: Owing to the construction described, theswitch can be turned either to make or break. circuit by the use of itsindividual key C, which alone is adapted to operate the lock. As shown,the lock is so positioned and adjusted in the casing and with respect tothe switch that the barrel or tumbler is locked only when the circuit isbroken, so that when the key is removed. from the lock it is impossibleto close the circuit by any other means. When the proper key isinserted, the barrel or tumbler can be readily rotated, carryingtherewith the knifebar into engagement with either of said pairs ofcontacts. The switch is rigidly secured to the dash b or other point ofsupport by the bolts 6 the threaded ends being riveted While I havedescribed the switch as a- I locking-switch adapted for use in vehicles,it is obvious that the same may be used in connection withcircuit-breakers or other related devices and that any desired lockconstruction may be used. I therefore do not purpose limiting thisapplication for patent otherwise than necessitated by the prior art, asobviously many details of construction and operation may be variedwithout departingfrom the principles of this invention.

I claim as my invention 1. In an electrical switch comprising aplurality of sets of oppositely disposed clamping contact points, a keyoperated transverse bar adapted to be clamped at its ends in saidoppositelydisposed contact points, a laterally-projecting plate rigidlyengaged to said transverse bar, a cylindric sleeve and acentrally-apertured cylindric hub therein adapted to receive said platetherethrough.

2. In a switch the combination with a lock, of a transverse bar rigidlyengaged on the inner end of the locking-bolt and oppositely-disposedcontact-plates adapted to engage the ends of said bar.

3. In an electrical switch the combination with a lock, having a rotarylocking-bolt therein of a transverse bar on the inner end of said boltand contact-plates having hooked ends adapted to engage over the ends ofsaid bar.

4. An electrical switch comprising a casing, a sheet of insulatingmaterial rigidly fastened therein and having a central aperturetherethrough, oppositely-disposed airs of contact-points rigidly engagedto sald sheet of insulating material, a sleeve engaged to said insulatorand having its bore in alinement with the aperture therein, a cylindrichub in said sleeve, a switch-bar rigidly engaged to the bottom of saidhub and adapted to engage the oppositely-disposed contactpoints andmeans for rotating the bar.

5. In a device of the class described a casing having an aperture in thetop thereof, a fixed cylindric body therein, a rotatable bolt in saidcylindric body, an insulator rigidly engaged to said cylindric body andhaving an aperture therethrough in alinement with the rotatable bolt, asleeve rigidly engaged to said insulator, a slotted cylindric hubrotatable in said sleeve, a downwardly-projecting plate rigidly engagedto said bolt and projecting through the slot in said hub, a bar rigidlyengaged on said hub and oppositely-disposed below said bolt and havingan aperture in alinement therewith, a sleeve rigidly engaged to saidinsulator and a rotatable hub therein having an aperture therethroughadapted to receive said plate.

7. In a device of the class described the combination with a casing .ofan apertured insulator dividingthe same, a locking-bolt on one side ofsaid insulator and registering with the aperture in said insulator, asleeve rigidly engaged-on said insulator opposite from said bolt, arotative hub therein, means rigidly connecting said hub with said. bolt,a transverse bar rigidly engaged on said hub and a plurality ofresilient contacts arranged in oppositelydisposed pairs and having theirouter ends bent to retain the ends of the bar therein against vibration.

8. The combination in an electrical switch of a lock therefor, atransverse contact-bar on said lock and. oppositely-disposed springclampin plates adapted to engage the ends of said ar and form anelectrical contact therewith.

9. In a device of the class described the combination with a casing of atransverse switch-bar therein, a key-o erated bolt en gaged to said.bar, an insu ator rigidly engaged to said casing, oppositely-disposedcontacts fastened to said insulator and each contact having a resilientloop on its upper end adapted to hold the switch-bar therein atransverse knife-bar and oppositely-disposed hooked contacts therein, akey-operated lock carried. on the knife-bar and adapted to hold the samenormally out of engagement with the contacts and an individual key forsaid lock whereby the knife-bar may be thrown into engagement with thecontacts.

11. An electric switch embracing a closed metallic casing insulatedoppositely-disposed hooked contacts therein, a transverse switchbaradapted for engagement in said contacts, a lock set in the casing andcomprising a fixed body and a rotatable bolt, a plate rigidly en agingthe bolt and switch-bar whereby the olt must be operated to operate theswitch and means for holding said switchbar in operative position.

12. The combination with a closed casing, of an insulating-tablettherein, a plurality of pairs of contact-platcs on one side of saidtablet, a transverse knife-bar adapted to engage said contact-plates inpairs, a lock set in said casing on the sideof said tablet opposite fromthe contacts, a revoluble element therein positively connected with theknifebar and acting to control the adjustment thereof and an individualkey for said lock. 13. In a lock in switch, the combination with acasing, of a central look therein, a knife-bar connected therewithcentrally and rotated thereby, sprin -contacts disposed in pairs aroundthe knifear and adapted to be engaged by its ends and means forattaching the switch adapted to prevent unauthorized removal. 7

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN BERNET.

Witnesses:

C. W. HILLS, W. W. WITHENBURY

